The present invention pertains generally to a retail product display system unit for displaying consumer products in a retail environment and, more particularly, to a convertible display system that can assume multiple configurations for display of different types of products.
Retail displays are critical to the sales of consumer products as they are the means by which products are positioned in the view and reach of prospective purchasers. Product displays are therefore configured to hold and position as much product as possible in the view of consumers in an orderly and appealing arrangement. To this end, a great variety of product display racks and product support devices have been contrived for all types of products. As the number of different types of displays multiplies, greater amounts of store space is occupied to the extent that not all displays can be on the sales floor at the same time. For seasonal items such as sunglasses, display racks are moved about a store throughout the year, according to demand and sales results. In many stores, seasonal display racks are placed in storage during the off-season. In large stores, this can lead to permanent misplacement of some display racks and the inventory carried thereon.
Furthermore, display units are often only partially stocked with the products they are configured to display. Store employees must obtain more product from a stockroom in order to restock a display unit. Due to this inconvenience, display units are often only partially stocked. In order to keep display units fully stocked, it would be preferable if display units were more convenient to restock.
Some attempts have been made to accommodate a variety of products on a single structure, such as described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,563 and 5,054,624, in the form of jewelry caddies having hanger arms and panels to support different types of jewelry. The structures, however, are not disclosed for use in retail point-of-sale applications and do not utilize multiple sided columns whereby one type of product is displayed or exposed while a different type of product is concealed. And U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,272 describes a device for displaying sunglasses in which sunglasses are arranged back-to-back in specifically constructed display columns not adaptable for simultaneous support of products dissimilar to sunglasses such as jewelry. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,090 discloses a retail display with a plurality of the display columns, each column capable of displaying two different products. Because the device is configurable, it enables stores to select the type of product that will be displayed. However, to reconfigure the display disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,090, one must rotate a column of the display. Enabling rotation of columns requires that there be more clearance between the columns. Because more clearance is required to allow a column to rotate, less product can be displayed at any given time.
Finally, recent developments in anti-theft devices have led to anti-theft tags designed for attachment to a nose bridge on a pair of eyeglasses. Because anti-theft devices must be difficult to remove in order to prevent theft, the attachment means of the anti-theft device to the eyeglasses is generally sturdy. Glasses equipped with anti-theft devices often create problems when displayed on retail display units because the display units are not designed to accommodate anti-theft tags. It would be preferable to have a eye glass display device that is equipped with a means of accommodating anti-theft devices attached to eyeglasses that are displayed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a convertible display unit (alternatively referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cconvertible display systemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cconversion tower display systemxe2x80x9d) that can be easily be reconfigured to change the products displayed, while maintaining a large display area. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a display with additional storage for products to be displayed. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a display device for displaying eyeglasses that is capable of accommodating anti-theft devices attached to eyeglasses that are displayed.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a convertible retail product display unit. The display unit has at least one display panel which has a first and second side, the two sides being generally opposed. On one end of the display panel is at least one indexing member extending outward from the panel, and on another opposing end is a locking member extending outward from the panel. The display unit further comprises a receiving unit configured to accept the display panel. The receiving unit has on one end an indexing element for receiving the indexing member of the display panel, and on an opposite end a locking element for receiving the locking member of the display panel.
In another aspect of the present invention, a device for supporting eyewear on a retail display while accommodating an anti-theft tag is provided. The device comprises two generally parallel nose bridge supports, that are spaced apart such that the distance between said nose bridge supports is greater than a width of a generally rectangular strap of an anti-theft tag attached to the nose bridge of a pair of eyeglasses.